Back from a mini-vacation, I bring a build for a character from yet another game that I've never played. I had a different build planned, but I wanted to try this out one because it would give me a chance to use the psychic class. As always, this build is conceptualized entirely in a vacuum, with choices made in an attempt to fit the character. These choices might not hold up in a campaign with different themes and should be adjusted accordingly.
Let's get into the build for Imani, the Last Warder from Paladins!
IMANI, THE LAST WARDER
CHARACTER Imani
SOURCE Paladins
BUILD GOALS
o Imani is a human who follows an ancient order known as the Warders who are able to control dragons
o Most disappeared and were thought extinct, only for Imani to emerge after a beacon was lit in their ancient homeland, leading to her reclaiming the ancient treasures of her people
o Imani’s basic attack hurls slow bolts of ice or bursts of fire that can be charged for greater effect. Her attacks build up her mana bar, which is consumed when full to empower her next attack
o Her alternate fire attack launches either an explosive frost orb or a scorching ray depending on her elemental alignment
o She switches between elements with her Elemental Shift ability
o Her FrostFire Glide allows her to use her elements together to gain the power of temporary flight
o Dragon’s Call is her ultimate ability, which allows her to call forth a powerful dragon that rains down FrostFire breath
o Splitting Ice is a talent that Imani can gain that causes her frost bolts to chain to nearby foes
o The Pyromania talent causes her pyre balls to explode in a radius
o Finally, Mana Rift causes Imani to create a rift when standing still that causes her to generate mana, empowering her next attacks
LEVEL 1
Ancestry & Heritage: Skilled Human
o Ability Boosts & Flaws: +Constitution, +Charisma
o Ancestry Feat: Dragon Spit – electric arc
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (trained)
Background: Chosen One
o Ability Boosts: +Charisma, +Dexterity
o Skill Increase: Fortune-Telling Lore (trained)
Class & Subclass: Oscillating Wave Psychic with an Emotional Acceptance Subconscious Mind
o Class Ability Boost: +Charisma
o Skill Increase: Acrobatics (trained), Arcana (trained), Athletics (trained), Diplomacy (trained), Intimidation (trained), Occultism (trained)
o Spell Repertoire: Cantrips – light, produce flame, ray of frost, read aura, shield, thermal stasis; 1st – burning hands, fear
Details
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 10, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 18)
Despite her relation to dragons through the Warders, Imani is still a human and is represented through that ancestry though Dragon Spit is a nice grab as a reference to that. However, she already receives produce flame and ray of frost from her subclass. Picking one of them could still be worthwhile for when she finally picks up Dragon Prince, but electric arc seemed like a decent compromise. For those unafraid of redundancy and want the frost or fire breath later down the line, stick with the other aforementioned options. A background that fits her is a little difficult, but chosen one works for that idea of Imani being the last of her order who must carry on their duties. The best class to allow Imani easily and regularly switch between her ice and fire powers is the oscillating wave psychic, using the emotional acceptance subconscious mind for her future archetype and because she seems more charismatic than intelligent. The spells that she gains from her subclass are enough for her damage, leaving the rest of her repertoire open for utility spells, such as fear. For a weapon, I gave her a dagger because I want her to have a ranged option without having to have two different weapons. She can use the dagger to cut foes that menace her in melee, or throw it short distances if the need is dire.
LEVEL 2
o Class Feat: Sorcerer Dedication (Draconic Bloodline)
o Skill Feat: Intimidating Glare
o Skill Increase: Deception (trained), Survival (trained)
o Spell Repertoire: 1st – soothe
o Sorcerer Repertoire: Cantrips – mage hand, sigil
o Gear: dull grey aeon stone
LEVEL 3
o General Feat: Toughness
o Skill Increase: Arcana (expert)
o Spell Repertoire: 2nd – blistering invective*, burning hands*, heat metal
o Gear: +1 dagger, dull grey aeon stone, cloak of feline rest
LEVEL 4
o Class Feat: Basic Sorcerer Spellcasting
o Skill Feat: Arcane Sense
o Spell Repertoire: 2nd – resist energy
o Sorcerer Repertoire: 1st – magic missile
o Gear: staff of fire, +1 dagger, necklace of knives, dull grey aeon stone
LEVEL 5
o Ability Boosts: +Dexterity, +Constitution, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 10, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 19)
o Ancestry Feat: Haughty Obstinacy
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (expert)
o Spell Repertoire: Cantrips – entropic wheel; 3rd – fireball*, haste
o Gear: +1 striking dagger, flaming star, staff of fire, necklace of knives, dull grey aeon stone, cloak of feline rest
With the Sorcerer Dedication and the draconic bloodline, Imani harnesses the power of dragons like other warders before her. However, because the spell tradition granted by the draconic bloodline doesn’t match her tradition from her base class, even if it does share the same casting stat. As such, it is better to select spells granted by Basic Sorcerer Spellcasting and future such feats that don’t rely on saves or spell attack rolls – starting with magic missile. A slight focus on Intimidation leans into the idea of dragons and their Frightening Presence ability. A secondary focus on Arcana allows her to pick up her other archetype casting feats down the line. Haughty Obstinacy also pairs well with the theme of dragons, who often hold a superior attitude. Blistering invective makes use of fire while also inflicting fear upon foes, a good combination for her abilities. Imani automatically receives fireball, and with the subtracted energy feature of her class, she can use it to achieve the effects of her frost orb though a bit larger than typical.
LEVEL 6
o Class Feat: Psi Strikes
o Skill Feat: Terrifying Resistance
o Spell Repertoire: 3rd – pyrotechnics
o Sorcerer Repertoire: 2nd – flame wisp, magic missile*
o Gear: +1 explorer’s clothing, +1 striking dagger, wand of widening (1st-level), staff of fire, hat of disguise, necklace of knives
LEVEL 7
o General Feat: Fast Recovery
o Skill Increase: Intimidation (master)
o Spell Repertoire: 4th – fire shield*, fly
o Gear: wand of widening (2nd-level), +1 explorer’s clothing, necklace of fireballs I, +1 striking dagger, flaming star, staff of fire
LEVEL 8
o Class Feat: Basic Blood Potency – Widen Spell
o Skill Feat: Battle Cry
o Spell Repertoire: 4th – chromatic ray
o Sorcerer Repertoire: 3rd – haste
o Gear: energy robe (fire), staff of evocation, wand of widening (2nd-level), +1 explorer’s clothing, +1 striking dagger, wand of widening (1st-level)
LEVEL 9
o Ancestry Feat: Dragon Prince
o Skill Increase: Arcana (master)
o Spell Repertoire: Cantrips – redistribute potential; 5th – cone of cold, shadow blast*
o Gear: +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, energy robe (fire), necklace of fireballs II, wand of widening (2nd-level), necklace of fireballs I, +1 striking dagger
LEVEL 10
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Dexterity, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 12, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 20)
o Class Feat: Bloodline Breadth
o Skill Feat: Terrified Retreat
o Spell Repertoire: 5th – crushing despair
o Sorcerer Repertoire: 1st – feather fall
o Gear: necklace of fireballs III, +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, greater staff of fire, energy robe (fire), wand of widening (2nd-level), +1 striking dagger
When Imani fills up her mana bar, she empowers her next attack, which is achieved in this build with the Psi Strikes feat. Since this feat comes with the mindshift trait, Imani can channel frost or fire onto her strikes though as a primary caster, she won’t be super proficient making such attacks and should do so when she has a serious advantage. Through her archetype, Imani can pick up Widen Spell, which works for many of her spells, particularly those granted by her subclass. It also works to achieve the effects of her Pyromania talent. Last in this block for class feats is Bloodline Breadth to increase the utility of the spells she’ll pick up from her archetype since she’ll focus on her psychic spells for damage and debilitating effects. Dragon Prince builds out of the Dragon Spit feat she took much earlier, and here is where it would be nice to have cold or fire for it even if it would end up being a little redundant. With chromatic ray, Imani expands her damage options a bit while still having some hot and cold in it. Shadow blast follows a similar idea, giving her a greater range of potential damage. While crushing despair also falls into that idea, it also works with the overwhelming presence of a dragon. Finally, the fly spell is the closest that Imani gets to achieving FrostFire Glide, which works functionally but not thematically.
LEVEL 11
o General Feat: Fleet
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (trained)
o Spell Repertoire:6th – chromatic image, flame vortex*
o Gear: +2 striking dagger, greater bracers of missile deflection, necklace of fireballs III, +1 resilient explorer’s clothing, energy robe (fire), necklace of fireballs II
LEVEL 12
o Class Feat: Expert Sorcerer Spellcasting
o Skill Feat: Schooled in Secrets
o Spell Repertoire: 6th – true seeing
o Sorcerer Repertoire: 2nd – resist energy; 4th – elemental zone*
o Gear: +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, +2 striking dagger, wand of widening (4th-level), necklace of fireballs III, greater staff of fire, wand of smoldering fireballs (3rd-level)
LEVEL 13
o Ancestry Feat: Bounce Back
o Skill Increase: Occultism (expert)
o Spell Repertoire: 7th – energy aegis, fiery body*
o Gear: +2 greater striking dagger, +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, necklace of fireballs IV, wand of widening (4th-level), greater bracers of missile deflection, necklace of fireballs III
LEVEL 14
o Class Feat: Advanced Blood Potency – Detonating Spell
o Skill Feat: Group Impression
o Spell Repertoire: 7th – prismatic spray
o Sorcerer Repertoire: 3rd – blazing dive; 5th – summon dragon
o Gear: necklace of fireballs V, +2 greater striking dagger, wand of smoldering fireballs (5th-level), +2 resilient explorer’s clothing, greater staff of evocation, wand of widening (4th-level)
LEVEL 15
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Constitution, +Intelligence, +Charisma (Str 14, Dex 18, Con 18, Int 12, Wis 16, Cha 21)
o General Feat: Incredible Initiative
o Skill Increase: Nature (trained), Intimidation (legendary)
o Spell Repertoire: 8th – falling sky, polar ray*
o Gear: +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, necklace of fireballs V, bag of holding (type IV), +2 greater striking dagger, greater goggles of night, necklace of fireballs IV
The main get from Expert Sorcerer Spellcasting in this block is summon dragon, which could potentially serve as her ult though dragons that she summons are going to be a bit behind. Additionally, Detonating Spells lets her add some zap to her single target spells, with the intent to achieve effects akin to her Splitting Ice talent. Schooled in Secrets felt appropriate for a character who was part of an ancient order that has mostly disappeared. Bounce Back is a feat that fits well with characters from games where they repeatedly respawn. Of particular note among her spells in this block is elemental zone from her archetype to enhance her elemental spells and attacks, based off of her Mana Rift talent.
LEVEL 16
o Class Feat: Constant Levitation
o Skill Feat: Scare to Death
o Spell Repertoire: 8th – disappearance
o Sorcerer Repertoire: 4th – reflective scales, dragon form
o Gear: dragonscale amulet, +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, wand of the snowfield (5th-level), necklace of fireballs V, +2 greater striking dagger, wand of smoldering fireballs (5th-level)
LEVEL 17
o Ancestry Feat: Heroic Presence
o Skill Increase: Arcana (legendary)
o Spell Repertoire: 9th – meteor swarm*, overwhelming presence
o Gear: +3 greater striking dagger, dragonscale amulet, necklace of fireballs VI, +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, necklace of fireballs V, bag of holding (type IV)
LEVEL 18
o Class Feat: Master Sorcerer Spellcasting
o Skill Feat: Unified Theory
o Spell Repertoire: 9th – resplendent mansion
o Sorcerer Repertoire: 5th – mantle of the frozen heart; 6th – dragon form*; 7th – frigid flurry
o Gear: circlet of persuasion, +3 greater striking dagger, wand of smoldering fireballs (7th-level), dragonscale amulet, +2 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, wand of the snowfield (5th-level)
LEVEL 19
o General Feat: Incredible Investiture
o Skill Increase: Diplomacy (master)
o Spell Repertoire: 10th – alter reality, gate
o Gear: +3 greater resilient armor, circlet of persuasion, necklace of fireballs VII, +3 greater striking dagger, dragonscale amulet, necklace of fireballs VI
LEVEL 20
o Ability Boosts: +Strength, +Intelligence, +Wisdom, +Charisma (Str 16, Dex 18, Con 18, Int 14, Wis 18, Cha 22)
o Class Feat: Twin Psyche
o Skill Feat: Shameless Request
o Sorcerer Repertoire: 8th – summon dragon
o Gear: +3 major striking dagger, +3 greater resilient explorer’s clothing, mask of allure, necklace of fireballs VII, wand of smoldering fireballs (7th-level), wand of widening (7th-level)
Constant Levitation is chosen based on her FrostFire Glide but the main thing of note here is Master Sorcerer Spellcasting and what it grants her. Acquiring dragon form as a signature spell or using summon dragon as her 8th-level spell can serve as her Dragon’s Call ultimate with the former probably being a bit more functional but the latter being more appropriate to the ability. Additionally, while frigid flurry won’t always work great given the lower DC, it does sort of fit for her FrostFire Glide while adding some damage to it.
FREE ARCHETYPE SUGGESTIONS: Finally back to a build that makes use of an archetype, which would obviously be the best option for anybody playing in a free archetype game. This frees up a number of her class feats, which should mainly be used for feats that have the mindshift trait such as Psi Burst, Violent Unleash, and Psi Catastrophe to give her more cold and fire damage that doesn’t eat up her spells. Emotional Surge is another good choice for a feat that increases her chance of hitting with attacks, making use of her attack modifying abilities such as Psi Strikes if you can work it all in.
BUILD CONCLUSION
Naturally, we build Imani as a human but include some reference to the Warders and their dragons with feats such as Dragon Spit, Dragon Prince, and her Sorcerer Dedication with the draconic bloodline. She can continually project bolts of ice or bursts of fire by alternating between ray of frost or produce flame, and also by using her subclass’s ability to alter the damage type of her spells and psychic powers. To achieve the effects of charging up her mana to empower her attacks, she picks up Psi Strikes. For her alternate fire of an explosive frost orb or a scorching ray of fire, there’s a removed energy fireball to deal cold damage or an added energy ray of frost to deal fire damage. The closest thing to her FrostFire Glide is probably the fly spell or the Constant Levitation feat, but frigid flurry from her sorcerer archetype also works for that idea though isn’t super effective. For the last of her activated abilities, her Dragon’s Call, she can summon dragon to achieve the effects more thematically, but dragon form may be more functional in playing the game. For her talents, Imani looks towards some metamagic feats provided by her sorcerer archetype. Splitting Ice described her frost bolts as arcing to other nearby foes, the closest equivalent of which I can find is with the Detonating Spell feat. For her Pyromania talent, she instead looks to Widen Spell, increasing the area of her AoE spells. For her final talent, the mana-generating Mana Rift that enhances her attacks as a side effect, Imani once more looks towards her Sorcerer Dedication, which nets her the elemental zone spell to enhance the damage of her spells, which unfortunately will not stack with her extra damage from Unleash Psyche.
Be sure to lemme know what you think of the build and who else you might like to see!
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Until then, have a fantastic Friday!
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